Page 71 of A Royal Deception

“It’s not what you think,” explained Veer.

Between the three of them, they explained their long-standing feud with the Goels, as well as what they were trying to do to end the mafia raj in their towns.

“That sounds like a very noble task, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything more stupid,” I said bluntly.

“Excuse me?” said Isha, sounding offended.

“I’m sorry, but are you guys aware this isn’t the fifteenth century anymore? You don’t have to protect your people against invaders anymore? There is a whole police force to do that,” I snapped.

“Babe, my father had the entire police force in his pocket, and no one could harm a hair on his head even though he was a bloody warlord. He was even an Honourable Member of the Parliament for years. Everyone knew what he was doing, and nobody cared to stop him,” she said bitterly.

“That may be so, but vigilante justice is not the way to go about it.”

“If that’s the way you feel, you and Zarna are free to leave right now. We can have the marriage annulled, and you can have your old life back,” replied Ranvijay angrily, and I reared back in shock.

He spoke so easily about dissolving our marriage. As if it meant nothing to him. All that mattered was his need for vigilante justice.

His friends spoke up together, telling him not to be an idiot. But he ignored their words as he stared at me challengingly.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the way he dismissed our moments of bliss so easily. But it was clear that I’d been living in a fool’s paradise. I might have been falling in love with Ranvijay, but to him, this was just a business arrangement. I had mistaken good sex for something more, and that was on me. It wasn’t his fault.

As his wife, I had every right to object to him putting his life in danger for a fight that was not even his. He had no political ambitions like Veer. Nor did he have a personal grudge against the mafia, like Dheer. So why did he have to risk his neck every single day?

Isha and Veer moved away to give us a semblance of privacy.

I blinked back my tears and faced Ranvijay down fiercely.

“Fine, if that’s the way you feel, let’s end this farce,” I said coldly. “Just tell me one thing. Why did you even think of starting a family under these circumstances? Why bring a child into the world if there’s no guarantee of you being around to raise it?”

“It’s precisely because I know that I might not come back home from a fight someday that I wanted a child,” said Ranvijay starkly. “So that my bloodline doesn’t die with me.”

His words hit me right in the solar plexus, and I reeled from the shock of it. In his eyes, I really was nothing more than a womb for hire, while I had been dreaming of a happy ever after with my prince charming. I remembered wondering how God had allowed me to go unpunished for the role I played in deceiving Ranvijay, and I realised that this was to be my punishment. Karma wasn’t going easy on me. It was merely setting me up for the harshest punishment of all - heartbreak.

“If that was the case, you had no business keeping such an important detail from me when we got married,” I said slowly.

Ranvijay laughed bitterly.

“I don’t remember having much choice in the matter. You married me under false pretences, Shivina, so I don’t think I owe you an explanation of how I want to live my life.”

Wow! Just… wow!

Hereallydidn’t care about me. I knew our relationship began as a marriage of convenience, but I thought it had grown into something magical over the past few months. I needed someone to slap the silly out of me right now because I’d made the classic rookie mistake of mistaking sex for love. Just because I was starving for someone to love me.

Never again, I decided. I didn’t need anyone to love me. Especially not someone who treated me so callously. I had to learn to love myself first.

“Fine. Then I’ll move out of your house tonight.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he said furiously. “You can’t move Zarna in the middle of her exams.”

“Don’t worry about my sister,” I flared. “She’s my responsibility, not yours.”

But I knew he was right. It wasn’t Zarna’s fault that I had decided to fall in love with my temporary husband. Ranvijay had been very clear about what he’d expected from me. So this was all on me. Well, I was going to fix it. As soon as Zarna’s exams were over, we were walking out of the palace and out of Ranvijay’s life for good.

“All right, Your Highness. Have it your way,” I said bitterly. “Zarna and I will be out of your life as soon as her exams are over.”

I turned around and walked away without saying a word to him. My chauffeur had arrived with the car, and even though he looked a little rough at the edges after the gunfight, he was in one piece.

“Take me home, Rajan,” I whispered.

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